


Leave a Light On

by Cardinal_Sin (HU_shipper)



Category: Powerwolf (Band)
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, i guess, matthew has nightmares, maybe???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 17:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HU_shipper/pseuds/Cardinal_Sin
Summary: Matthew is suffering from recurring nightmares. Some nights, it's bearable. Tonight is not one of those nights.





	Leave a Light On

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Raijin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raijin/gifts).



> Title from Tom Walker's Leave A Light On, which is a fantastic song and you all should listen to it immediately.

When they had started dating back in the day, Matthew had warned Falk about the nightmares. Falk suspected that it was a side effect of him being an actual genius, but really, it could have developed because of anything, practically.

What mattered was that Matthew had nightmares. Not the kind you dream once and then forget after one sleepless night, no, Matthew’s nightmares were recurring terrors that left him shaking and crying, sometimes even screaming, essentially paralyzed by fear.  
Falk had, without a second of thinking, declared that he didn’t give one flying fuck about all that and that he would always be there for Matthew, be it waking him or just providing comfort and a sense of security. Matthew had cried  
a little, hadn’t even tried to hide it. Falk felt so fucking sorry for him. The man was the heart and soul of the band, constantly overworking himself to the brink of physical illness, and then not being able to rest at night either? It must have been torture for the poor soul.

The first few times of course, Falk didn’t wake up to the sharp gasps – turning into soft sniffling with time – and only woke when Matthew shook him awake, eyes wide in fear and lips trembling. Falk felt so goddamn guilty. He had drawn Matthew into his arms and cradled him there until he fell back asleep. They had discovered that listening to Falk’s heartbeat helped a lot in calming him down.

Some nights were not as easy as others though.

***

Matthew woke up with a sharp shout, snapping upright in his bed. Falk was awake in a second, turning on the bedside lamp and kneeling in front of his lover. Matthew’s eyes were  
wide open, fixed at a point in the distance in front of him. He was unmoving, like a statue. This had happened once before, and luckily, Falk still remembered what to do about it. He took Matthew’s hands in his own, his thumbs rubbing circles onto the backs of his hands.

“Matthew, darling, can you hear me?” He asked in a low, comforting voice, looking into Matthew’s eyes. Matthew didn’t respond, just let out a stuttering breath.

“Okay, baby. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand, please.”

Matthew’s fingers were trembling and his grip was weak, but it was there, and that was a start. Falk took one of Matthew’s hands and guided it to his chest, flattening it against his ribcage. Matthew would understand this without talking too. And there it was, the tiny, shaky breaths slowly calmed down, syncing to Falk’s heartbeat. Falk flashed him a reassuring smile.

Just as he prepared his other check-up questions (where are you? who am I? what day is it? etc.) Matthew’s gaze finally wavered and he focused onto Falk’s face. The next second he lunged forward and grabbed Falk by the front of his t-shirt. He buried his head in the base of Falk’s neck, and Falk could already feel the hot tears on his skin. He wrapped one of his arms around Matthew’s torso, the other resting on the nape of his neck, slowly combing through his hair, dragging his nails across his scalp in the way he knew Matthew liked it.

He knew better than to ask Matthew about the nightmare. Sometimes Matthew was willing to discuss them, but usually, especially after the bigger ones, he became closed-off and distant. Falk could only wonder what could be so serious he wouldn’t even share it with his fiancé. Falk sat back in a more comfortable position, bring Matthew closer so he was half-lying in his lap, fists still twisted into the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He rocked back and forth slowly, humming along a little just to provide some background noise. When Matthew’s breaths slowed down and his body relaxed in Falk’s hold, Falk pressed a soft kiss into the crown of his head.

He slowly lowered Matthew back into the bed, adjusting the pillows under his head. He carefully wiped the tears from his face and turned off the lamp as he crawled back into bed beside his beloved. He wrapped the smaller man in his arms, pressing another kiss into his hair.

“Good night, my love,” he whispered to the quiet room.

“You’ll always be safe with me.”


End file.
